For the families, schools, and businesses of Upper Manhattan, Columbia Community Service is valued for strengthening the many local groups that provide essential services in this time of economic hardship. For the Columbia faculty and staff who contribute to this program, CCS is a meaningful way to support our neighbors and to help meet the needs of our community. And for the University, CCS powerfully expresses the bond between public service and education which, as much as anything, gives Columbia its distinctive identity.

Please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, October 25, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, when we will kick off this year’s 65th annual Columbia Community Service Campaign with an open house and lunch in the Roone Arledge Auditorium of Lerner Hall. By stopping by, you can learn more about the Community Service Campaign, have your questions answered by board members and the staff of CCS, and meet the people and organizations making a difference every day in our Upper Manhattan community.

The many organizations supported through your contributions of time and money offer health care, education, and legal services to local individuals and families. They also provide an extraordinary breadth of services that advance the cultural life, physical fitness, and emotional well-being of community members—from afterschool programs, elder care, and services for the homeless, to public school art programs and the beautification of neighborhood parks.

Last year, more than 1,400 faculty and staff members of Columbia University, Barnard College, and Teachers College donated over $300,000 to this campaign, allowing CCS to provide grants to 50 local organizations. We are proud of this level of participation and the fact that 100 percent of donations go directly to our community partners. Given the breadth and depth of the needs in our community, we must strive to do still more.

As chair of the CCS campaign, and on behalf of those who benefit from your generosity, I want to thank everyone who has contributed in the past. I urge everyone who is interested to attend the open house on October 25, and to join us in celebrating the 65th anniversary of Columbia Community Service.